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Weekly Rundown- Heavy Leg Edition

Oof.  I felt like I was running through molasses this week.  I can’t seem to get used to strength training again, but I’m not giving up!  I’ll slog through these runs until it all feels normal (that will happen… right???) Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown!  Let’s just see how it all went.

Sunday

Back to the gym!  You may recall that I went last week to do lower body for the first time in three weeks, and it completely trashed my legs.  But I was undeterred, and returned for more lower body.  I did Bulgarian split squats, deadlifts with the hex bar and calf raises. I have the theory- based on no evidence whatsoever- that the calf raises will help my plantar fasciitis.  We’ll see!

Monday

My legs were sore, but not as sore as last time.  I did a 4 mile run, followed by some planks.  I definitely did better with my core this week.

Tuesday

Another gym day!  This time I did squats (again with the bar only), calf raises, bench press and lat pulldowns.  Good workout.

Wednesday

I know what my life has been missing- trail running!  I went back to the trail for the first time since my race, and ran 6 miles.  I was glad to get back out there, but this was a HARD run.  My legs felt trashed once again (what is it with these squats???) and it was so hot.  I thought I would be okay since it was only 6 miles, but I missed my ice hat!

Thursday

I did this Caroline Girvan abs and core workout.  Oof.

At night, we went to my daughter’s band concert… which was the final middle school concert.  Ever.  I can actually remember my son’s very first middle school band concert.  Between my son and daughter, we attended six years of concerts at that school, and this was the end.  I know it’s time to move on, but I was sad.

Friday

4 mile run, and now what?  My right hip was so, so stiff.  I couldn’t figure out why, until I remembered sitting on a hard plastic chair in the middle school cafeteria the night before for almost two hours.  Hmmm.  Maybe I’m not so sad to be done with middle school, after all- the high school has nice, comfy auditorium seats.

I just realized all my photos are from the back this week! Here’s a normal one.

I did crunches on the stability ball in the kitchen while making breakfast… a little core is better than nothing, right?

Saturday

I did Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout..  It’s just 12 minutes, and all variations on deadbugs.  When it starts you think “Oh, this isn’t so bad” but by the end you’re singing a different tune.  Never underestimate C.G.!  Other than that, it was a day off.

Sunday

Happy Mother’s Day!  Remember how I was going to run a Mother’s Day 5K?  Yeah, not happening.  My legs just don’t seem to want to move fast these days, which makes it hard to imagine running a race.  My husband has also been struggling with his running (although his issue is just finding the time to do it) and he said he didn’t want to go to the race because he would be a laughingstock.  Ha ha, I think that’s a BIT of an exaggeration- but under the circumstances we just weren’t motivated to get up excruciatingly early to slog through a 5K.

BUT!  I am going to run a 5K time trial today (after sleeping to a more reasonable hour.) It’s going to be…. interesting and humbling.  But you have to start somewhere!  I’ll take this time and use it to set the paces for my upcoming speed work.

Are you doing anything special for Mother’s Day?

Any big events for you this month? – We have middle school graduation coming up soon!

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Friday Coffee Date

Hello friends!  We made it to Friday and GUESS WHAT.  Sunday is officially the first day of fall!  Pour yourself a delicious fall-themed beverage and let’s talk about what that means. This week, Elisabeth posted her Top Five/Bottom Five Fall lists.  In her Top Five was the delightful fall weather, and in her Bottom Five was “winter is coming.”  Well, in Florida that is reversed. One of the WORST things about fall is our weather.  September is absolutely terrible.  Hot, steamy, rainy, and the chance of hurricanes increases every day.  Now that my kids are older, it doesn’t bother me as much.  But when they were young, there were all sorts of outdoor activities we thought we should be doing… like the PUMPKIN PATCH. The “pumpkin patch” was actually the yard of a nearby church that had hundreds of pumpkins- obviously no pumpkins actually grew there- they were imported from another state.  It seemed like a fun thing to do, but the weather just wasn’t conducive.  One year stands out starkly. The day we planned to go to the pumpkin patch, it rained.  But then the rained stopped- oh, good!  Let’s go to the pumpkin patch!  The problem is, when it rains here in September, it just makes things unbearably steamy.  Our time at the pumpkin patch was muggy, muddy, and horribly uncomfortable. (They don’t have that pumpkin patch anymore- I WONDER WHY.) Okay, so we don’t have fall weather here.  But you’re probably thinking that I’m guzzling down all the fancy fall drinks, right? No pumpkin spice lattes for me!  Starbucks does have some vegan seasonal drinks, but they all have a ton of sugar.  This year I’ve been having some serious FOMO, so I’ve tried a couple things… This is a vegan, unsweetened creamer, and I’ve been putting it in my tea (NOT in my Earl Grey- that would be gross.  Just regular black tea.) I think I like it?  I can’t really decide, but it does make me feel festive and fall-ish. Some friends gave us another new (to me) beverage: It’s sugar free!  The ingredients are black tea, chai spices, and sucralose.  Okay, I know sucralose isn’t good for you.  I know!  But I’m more willing to have sucralose every once in a while than sugar.  I’ve only tried it once- I mixed it with soy milk and made a DELICIOUS chai latte.  My daughter went a step further and added the pumpkin creamer to hers and made a super fancy fall beverage. Let’s go back to Elisabeth’s Bottom Five Fall item: winter is coming.  YES.  Winter is coming!  In Florida that means a break from the heat and humidity.  We’ll get some cool nights and beautiful days.  It won’t happen until November/December, but we’re here, waiting patiently. What would you tell me over coffee?  Do you like festive fall beverages?  Are you excited for the first day of fall?    

Reading and Eating

I’ve started Edge of Eternity and we are now in the 1960s!  It’s amazing to me how much I actually don’t know.  Yes- I did know there was a wall in Berlin.  But if you asked me when it was built, I would have said… right after WWII?  No!  It was built in 1961, after the US and USSR threatened war over the Berlin crisis.  This was going on during the Civil Rights protests in the US.  What an incredibly turbulent time!  Needless to say, I’m loving this book. This is the third book in Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy, and in between books 2 and 3 I quickly read this: This was a reread, as all Agatha Christies are for me.  I found it at the used bookstore, flipped through it and didn’t recognize any of the character’s names.  I took that as a good sign, and decided to risk it.  So many times I start an Agatha Christie (I read them all at least thirty years ago) and remember the ending about halfway through. Not this time!  I KNOW I read this one, but I truly couldn’t remember it.  I even tried out different “ingenious” solutions: “The narrator is the murderer!  The priest isn’t really a priest!  Someone is a long-lost son!”  Nope.  The ending was a complete surprise.  I really enjoyed this reread! Eating wise… I’ve continued to pretend that it’s not hot, muggy, and steamy here, and made chili!  I while ago I made Vegan Cincinnati Chili from this website. I was planning to make that again, but when I went to the website, I noticed he also has a recipe for “Texas Chili” which is called Best Damn Vegan Chili Ever.  Well!  I had to try that. It was very good!  I’m not sure I believe the claims that this chili is “award winning.”.  But to be fair, I did leave out two “optional” ingredients, pickled jalapenos and masa harina.  Mayne next time I’ll put those in and see if it wins any awards. I will say that my husband LOVED it!  We ate it for two dinners, and both times he exclaimed over how much he enjoyed it. Chili: Cincinatti, or Texas style? What are you reading now?

Fall Fun

I had a really nice, fall-ish weekend!  When I say “fall-ish,” I don’t mean I visited a pumpkin patch or went apple picking.  No, we don’t have that in Florida- although, I’m pretty sure it’s too early for those things just about everywhere right now.  But those are things that never happen in Florida, so we have to make our own fall. We may not have cool temperatures and falling leaves, but we do have football and homecoming!  Saturday night was our high school homecoming dance, and my daughter went with two of her friends, looking amazing in her new dress.  I got a lot of GREAT comments on my post about the suit vs. dress dilemma, including one from Julie saying that she wore a tux to her prom!  For this dance, my daughter wore a dress- who knows what will happen in the future. I dropped my daughter and her two friends at the dance, and I loved seeing all the kids dressed up.  I also loved that these three girls didn’t feel like they needed dates- they were happy to be going together.  I was excited that it was my daughter’s first high school dance. I was also excited that after the dance, another mom was picking the girls up and bringing them back to her house for a sleepover.  I knew that my daughter would be in good hands and I knew she would have fun- and my job was done for the night. I got home just in time for the start of the Baylor game.  It was gloomy and rainy outside (a typical South Florida evening in September) and my house was so cozy!  We broke out the fall food and beverages. We tried each of the beers: the Oktoberfest was very good; the Pumpking Ale was okay, and the Howling Gourds was terrible.  The only one we actually finished was the Oktoberfest.  It turns out some things just shouldn’t taste like pumpkin, and beer is one of them.  But it was fun to try them all. I LOVE chips and salsa, but don’t normally eat them.  It’s one of those thing I can’t stop eating once I start, so I usually don’t let myself start.  But I made an exception since they were “fall-themed” (holiday foods don’t really count, right???) and I loved them.  The pepita salsa is delicious, and chips are always good.  Plus they looked like fall leaves! We also had this: It was good.  I mean- it was good for a prepared dinner.  Elaborate cooking wasn’t in my plan for this night, so we definitely enjoyed these “heat and serve” enchiladas. We watched Baylor win, and oh yes- I was wearing my new favorite pajamas. After the game, I stayed up late reading, and finally crawled into bed, knowing that there was no work or school tomorrow, and no one would be needing me for anything.  I could sleep as late as I wanted, and didn’t wake up until 9 am.  It felt AMAZING. After a nice slow start to the morning, Sunday got underway.  I picked up my daughter, did the grocery shopping, and started thinking about plans for the week.  I felt a little melancholy that the weekend was coming to an end.  Sometimes everything just comes together perfectly.  I know there will be more fun times this fall, but it’s possible that I’ll look back and say “Yes, that was the best night of the whole season.” Are you starting to think about fall, or are you still in a summer frame of mind? Pumpkin ale- yay, or nay?

Weekly Rundown- Everything is Awesome!

I don’t want to say this injury is behind me, because that would be tempting fate a little too much.  But let’s just say “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie has been running through my head, and life seems good!  I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown.  Here’s how it all played out… Sunday I walked one mile and ran 3. Everything felt good! Monday I did lower body strength at home, including single leg exercises and squats.  One of the (few) things I’m proud of from my work this summer is the progress I made in the one leg sit-to-stand.  It’s one of the foundation exercises on Sally McRae’s app and also one of the hip stability exercises from Brad Beer’s book.  You start sitting on a chair or bench, and stand up using one leg, then sit back down, stand up again, etc. only on one leg.  When I first started I could only do five reps on each leg- now I can do 36 reps!!!  At least something has improved. I also did Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout..  I’m really tired of it by now! Tuesday I walked 3 miles… … and then did a different core workout!  I did Caroline Girvan’s Standing Abs Workout, and I liked it.  At least, I liked doing something different. Wednesday Again, I walked one mile and ran 3.  Still feeling good! Thursday I did my single leg exercises, and another core workout.  This one Engie recommended, MadFit Standing Core Workout..  I liked this one too!  Then I had time for 20 minutes of walking. At night we watched the Dolphins game, which was a complete fiasco.  We lost, and our quarterback got ANOTHER CONCUSSION.  The poor guy will be out for… ever?  The rest of the season?  I feel really bad for him, and now our season is a shambles after only the second game. Friday Gym day!  It was a very squat-focused workout, because I skipped deadlifts.  My low back is nagging at me again, and deadlifts sadly make it worse.  After squats and Bulgarian split squats I did some core (abs and low back machines.) At night I planned to go to our high school football game, but it rained so much that the band couldn’t play (so I didn’t go.)  They did manage to play in the rain and our team won!  This was our homecoming, and last year’s homecoming was completely rained out.  September outdoor events just shouldn’t be a thing in South Florida. Saturday This was a big day- I walked one mile and ran 4!!!  I’m getting there! At night we watched the Baylor game.  FINALLY.  A game where it didn’t rain, no one got injured, and we WON!  At least the football week ended on a high note. Sunday Off!  Sleeping in and waffles will be involved (obviously.) So, it was a good week.  Moving forward, I’m going to cautiously try running every other day.  Running every third day was great to get me back from this injury, but I can’t do that forever! How was your week?  Were there any moments where you sang “Everything is Awesome?” Top photo by Stainless Images on Unsplash

56 Responses

  1. I’m going to sit with my feet up all day after a really big day with family yesterday–my son’s college graduation. I may look into one of those Caroline Girvan core workouts but that would be about all I’ve got in me for today! Nice work running in the heat–I don’t know how you do it!

    Reply

    1. If I didn’t run in the heat, I wouldn’t be able to run. So I either have to move to Alaska or figure out how to cope with it. Next trail run I’m bringing my ice hat though!
      You deserve to sit with your feet up- college graduation must be very emotionally draining. I hope you’re enjoying the day.

      Reply

  2. Your legs may still be recovering from that little trail race you did a few weeks ago!

    LOL on the auditorium seat upgrade for high school. Will there be a middle school graduation ceremony?

    Reply

    1. Yes, the middle school graduation ceremony will be in a couple weeks. And luckily it’s at the high school! Hopefully on never sit on those horrible plastic chairs again.

      Reply

  3. Oh man, you just brought back memories of our middle school band concerts. We spent a lot of time in those (thankfully comfy) seats and then we blinked and the boys were in high school and out of band.

    It really sounds like you’re still recovering from the race, which is expected. I know that it always took a few weeks to “get right” after a half, let alone a TRAIL ULTRA. But you’re getting there! Enjoy your “5k on your own terms”!

    Reply

    1. Well, my daughter will be in the high school band, so we have many more concerts to attend.
      I did enjoy my 5k (on my own terms) except for the wheezing, gasping, and exhaustion. Ha ha… I have some work to do!

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  4. Happy Mother’s Day to you! I hope your legs start to feeling better soon! They went through a lot at your 50k! I ran yesterday but it’s rainy this morning and I’m not in the mood for a rainy run. Tomorrow the rain will break and we will get some sunshine again finally! Woo hoo! So I will get a run in tomorrow.

    It’s our anniversary on Friday but we won’t do much to celebrate since we will be heading to my parents lake home for the big event of the month – my grandma’s 100th birthday party!! I am looking forward to seeing lots of family at that. Paul also has PK graduation in May or June. I haven’t heard the date yet so am now assuming early June. He will be there until the 2nd to last week of June and then transitions to the public school summer kids program. It’s a big change for him but hopefully he will meet other kids that will go to his school. They move the location of the program around each summer and this year it’s at the school he will attend so it worked perfectly for us. He can be a tentative kid so it will be nice for him to get to know the lay of land before school starts in September!

    Reply

    1. Wow, that will be a huge event. Are you going to be able to take any time off work, or will it just be a weekend?
      I’m sure Paul will be fine- and yes, that is lucky his summer program is at the school he’ll attend! He’ll get used to it and hopefully meet some future classmates.
      Hope you’re having a nice day!

      Reply

      1. It will just be a quick weekend trip. We go up to my parents on Friday morning and come back Sunday morning. The party is Saturday afternoon and then there is an after party at a restaurant (which my grandma won’t be at – the open house will wear her out!). So it’s kind of a lot of driving for a short visit but was the best we could do!! But I’m excited to see my grandma. She’s been pretty depressed recently so hopefully this lifts her spirits.

        Reply

        1. Aw… I hope so. Sounds like a whirlwind! I want to hear all about it (and maybe see a photo of your grandma!)

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  5. Happy Mother’s Day! We had our last formal concert for band this week too, and I still didn’t get a picture of my son in his full outfit (the band jackets get returned to the band room before I could get a picture of him!). Drat. When I’m feeling better I’ll have to check out some of those other CG workouts. There are so many I’ve never seen. It’s nice that she has published so much free content! Hopefully it will all stay free.

    Reply

    1. I guess CG’s new thing is a paid app, which is fine- she should get paid. But there are so many free workouts available, and I don’t want to follow a program too closely.
      Your story of your son suddenly made me think of my high school graduation- I returned my cap and gown before my mom could get any pictures and she was SO mad! I made sure to take plenty of pictures of my son BEFORE his ceremony, ha ha.

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  6. Your legs are probably still recovering from your trail race as well as the strength training. Hang in there it will all work out. Hope you have a great mother’s day

    Reply

    1. Thank you Deborah! Yes, my legs just can’t seem to get going with the strength- they might still be recovering from the race a little. But you’re right- it will all work out.

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  7. Have “fun” at your time trial! LOL at maybe not being so sad about having to sit in the hard plastic seats. I’m sure you will miss the concerts! It’s amazing to me what parents tolerate before their kids can actually play well. I know I was awful at first!

    Happy Mother’s Day!

    Reply

    1. Yes, middle school band is something special. It’s a mix of putting up with bad playing, and appreciating how hard the kids are trying, and appreciating the occasional excellence. I’ll miss it for sure.

      Reply

  8. Happy Mother’s Day! Your body is still recovering and the heaviness in your legs is your cue to ease up a bit. I know it’s not easy to do so but it will pay off.
    Will your daughter do band in high school? Time flies so fast!

    Reply

    1. What?? Ease up? But I don’t want to! Ha ha… you’re probably right. Sigh.
      Oh yes, my daughter is doing band next year! And she’s doing a band camp this summer. Lots of flute and piccolo sounds in my future.

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  9. I would wage bet that your calf raises will help the PF. They may not cure it, but they may help with the mobility. Years ago, I was reminded that everything on that posterior chain is connected, and a lot can happen “along that chain” to affect all the other parts. I’d also suggest (though you’re probably already doing them) extra calf stretches as well, to further elongate the muscles/tendons on the lower part of your leg. Happy Mother’s Day! I’m having dinner with the kids later this afternoon 😉

    Reply

    1. Yes, I was doing a lot of stretching, didn’t feel like it was helping so I stopped. But now that I’m doing the calf raises I should go back to stretching again, just to make sure it doesn’t actually make my calves tighter.
      Enjoy your kids today!

      Reply

  10. I agree with others – I think your body just may need some more time to recover from your race. Sorry to hear you’re dealing with PF – hope the calf raises help.

    Happy Mother’s Day!

    Reply

    1. Thank you Michelle! I’ve been dealing with the PF for over three years now (my PF anniversary was in April, sigh) but I keep coming up with different things that I think will cure it.

      Reply

  11. Happy Mother’s Day.

    I know the feeling… UI just couldn’t motivate myself to run a 5k ay my current snail pace.

    My long run at a 12:XX pace felt like a 8:XXpace. Maybe that’s the new me?

    Reply

    1. Well, you are just coming back from an injury. I’m hoping we can both get some semblance of speed back!

      Reply

  12. Happy Mother’s Day. I actually wanted to go for a run today, but it’s extremely windy and in addition to being made of sugar (I hate to run in the rain), I’m also made of paper apparently because I hate, hate, hate wind. I could run on our treadmill, but opted to eat candy on the couch and read blogs instead which is also quite lovely and a lot less sweaty! So my run will wait until tomorrow. I did a really long walk yesterday, so I’m not feeling too bad about exercise.

    Reply

    1. Ha ha.. I like your eating candy on the couch option. I don’t mind rain, or wind, but the two of them together are pretty miserable. Happy Mother’s Day to you as well!

      Reply

  13. Happy Mother’s Day! And so sorry about the PF – I’ve had issues in the past and hopefully will stay issue free this training season. It’s the worst! Hopefully the calf raises help.

    Reply

    1. I’ve had PF in this foot for over three years now. I figure eventually something will work… right???

      Reply

  14. Happy Mother’s Day! I hope that the calf raises help with your PF — I have read that some of PF is caused by calf tightness, so perhaps the extra exercise will help!

    Thanks for linking to that CG abs workout — I am going to try it even though it looks like a killer!

    Reply

    1. You’ll have to let me know how you like it! It’s definitely a killer, but I like how I feel afterwards.

      Reply

  15. I reckon you’re still in recovery. It took me aaages after my ultra to stop feeling fatigued and hungry! Just when I thought something might have gone wrong I felt better again!

    Reply

    1. Yes, I guess I must be. Either that or I’ve just gotten slow AF, ha ha. Let’s go with the recovery theory.

      Reply

  16. You are not alone. This week has been brutal. I don’t WANT to do exercise and when I do, I feel like I’m fighting for every second of activity. And I don’t have the excuse of just having run a big race! It’s nice that you’re keeping going, though, and not letting it stop you!

    Reply

    1. It’s funny how some weeks are just like that! I’m not positive that I can keep blaming it on my race. But I know from experience that it will eventually feel good again.

      Reply

  17. My PT gave me lots of calf stretching for my PF and other arch problems – I even got one of those boards to stand on that increase the stretch. It really has made a huge difference (when I’m consistent with it) (which is, admittedly, my problem with PT haha)! Hope the legs feel fresher this week!

    Reply

  18. I recently purchased and have been using one of those calf/foot stretchers to help with my PF (now in both feet). It’s been helping (only been a week).

    Thanks for linking that CG deadbug video! Going to try it tomorrow.

    Reply

    1. Oh really! I’ll have to check it out. If it’s already helping after a week, it sounds promising.

      Reply

      1. My calves are tight! I try to do stretches 3/day. Going to it now before bed! lol
        I bought the ProStretch one (single) on AMZ, it’s the blue one. ProStretch original calf stretcher and foot rocker.

        Reply

        1. Okay, I’m going to look at it right now. I definitely don’t stretch 3x a day, and I bet that would help.

          Reply

  19. To skip the 5 km was a wise decision, the trail is always hard and the body must recover.
    I miss my exercises in the gym. After the incident only stretching and running for me.
    Have a good running week!

    Reply

    1. Hello Mr Knight! It’s been a while. I’m going to have to find out what this “incident” of yours is. I hope you’re doing well!

      Reply

  20. I’m still also going to the gym, just not as often as I’d like. but it’s going to happen 3 times this week if it’s the last thing I do. I do think starting strength again does mean your legs need to adjust. I keep thinking I need to up my program a bit and then I remember I’m supposed to be building up. Probably was for the best that you skipped the race – but you know you don’t HAVE to race to participate. I love your husband’s dramatic reaction though – sounds like mine hahahaha! I’m the one coming in last still smiling and getting people to cheer for me when I cross the finish line LOL.

    keep on keeping on, Jenny!

    Reply

    1. Yes, I thought my husband’s comment was funny. There are plenty of people who run slowly or even walk the whole way. We’ll definitely do the next one, which will be on July 4th.

      Reply

  21. The humidity was something else this week. I struggled HARD.

    I got all sentimental over the last freshman concert of the year. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lol!

    I hope you get some lightness back in your legs soon!

    Reply

    1. Well, there’s something special about freshman year- so I can see why you were sad.
      You’re reminding me that the weather could have something to do with my fatigue as well- summer is officially here.

      Reply

  22. Yay for saying goodbye to the middle school uncomfortable chairs! 😉 I always found it a little sad moving from one school to the next, but it’s part of their growing up and remember how excited they were for their next adventure.

    Hopefully, your legs will recover completely soon. Don’t forget they’re probably still recovering from your trail race – they haven’t forgotten the dunes of hell. 😉

    Reply

    1. Ha ha… yes, I guess it takes a while to recover from Dunes of Hell!
      And, yes- luckily my daughter is very excited for high school. That makes the transition much easier.

      Reply

  23. It can be so hard to maneuver through that heavy leg feeling! Sometimes it takes me legs a few days to “play nice” and go back to normal, lol.

    Reply

    1. The Advent series ones are great- they’re still hard, but shorter than Iron series. For me they’re easier to do on the day of a run.

      Reply

  25. You keep at it! Good for you…. the legs will eventually adjust LOL

    We didn’t have anything special going on – I am not a mother and our mothers are too far away, so it was a low-key Sunday for us.

    Reply

  26. I love your persistence, Jenny, and your willingness to get out there and Do The Things, even when you know they may not be easy. (Or, when you know they will not be easy – enough of this “may not” stuff!)
    And, I admire your ability to run in the HEAT – although I know you do not have much of a choice. Go, you. Seriously.

    Reply

    1. Yes, if I weren’t willing to run in the heat, I wouldn’t be a runner. Or I wouldn’t live in Florida. Since moving isn’t feasible right now, I’m trying to embrace the heat! It is hard though.

      Reply

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